


Therapy Animal

by Skyeribbon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Mental Breakdown, References to Depression, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2020-11-26 09:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20927831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyeribbon/pseuds/Skyeribbon
Summary: Marinette begins to break from the pressure





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette silently slipped her soft ballet flats from her feet. She planted her hands shakily upon the railing and closed her eyes, breathing in the cold night. The black, velvety dark was almost comforting, especially without the glare of the lanterns that normally adorned her little garden balcony. 

A feeling of doom and indescribable discomfort pounded in her chest. She sank into the rail partway, letting it pass, and straightening. She gripped the railing tighter and resolved herself. There was nothing Ladybug couldn’t do, right? No reason that this was any different. 

Marinette pulled herself up in a swift motion, holding herself over the bar like a seasoned gymnast over a horse beam. She held herself for a second, before landing her bare feet onto the railing and pulled upright. The strength she’d accumulated from swinging around Paris let her dangle on the edge flawlessly. It was effortless to be on the precipice here between a graceful trick and a tragic fall. She opened her eyes, slowly. 

The view of Paris from an extra 4 feet higher was glamorous, and one she’d never tire of. Something she’d always hoped would be the last sight she ever saw, if only morbidly. She leaned forward, stretching a leg behind her, forming a perfect T. She reached an arm before her, reaching toward the lights, reaching toward relief, reaching for escape, reaching for--

“What are you doing?” 

The husky voice startled her, and Marinette began to slip from the rail. A short scream escaped her mouth before a clawed arm snatched her from the air and into a heaving chest. She gripped the boy for dear life, her heart and head pounding. 

“Christ, Marinette, you could’ve fallen. What were you doing out here?” Suddenly she was face to face with wide green eyes and a furrowed brow as Chat Noir lifted her over the balcony’s iron rails. She held her breath while he settled her onto the wooden roof, and waited for him to face her. He crossed his arms and glared almost tiredly at her. He extended a hand expectantly from his tightened stance. “Well?” He implored. 

Many replies crossed Marinette’s mind, 

“What are you doing here?”   
“You’re not my boss.”  
“Whatever I want”  
“I had it until you scared me”

The influx of information she brought upon herself overwhelmed her. She felt crushed under the choices she'd created and pressured to choose. So, she cried.

Huge tears welled over and she began to sob almost immediately. The black-clad superhero recoiled in surprise, and reached out to touch her, hesitating before making contact. She shook her head and tucked herself into his hold. He winced. Through her sobs she managed to muster out, “A...are...are you ok?”

“Yeh, yeh,” He grumbled, smoothing down her hair. “Just some sore muscles. Seriously, Marinette, what’s the matter?”

“Mfine...”   
“Oh you are not. “  
“MmmFINE.” Marinette smothered her face harder into his chest.   
“Ok, ok you're fine, but could you maybe stop squeezing so hard?”  
“No I need to.”

“Uh...ok sure. Go ahead.” He chuckled.” Why don’t we get you inside? You're barely dressed and it’s freezing.” Chat Noir rubbed her bare shoulders and moved her towards the trap door entrance. He all but carried her down, past her bed and down the stylish wroughtiron staircase,and she lifelessly flopped into the little chaise lounger near the steps. She groaned loudly. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Mnnnnnn..”

“Want me to go?”

“Nnnn...no...”

“Ya sure?”

“Yeh...”

Chat Noir sighed, in debate with himself. He sat at the end of the lounger and patted Marinette’s legs.   
“You realize I can’t leave you here by yourself." 

“Please don’t tell my parents.” Her voice was deadpan and muffled, her face firmly stuffed into a pillow. He squeezed her ankle. 

“That’s gonna make this a little complicated, princess.” He said, sullenly. 

Marinette sat up. 

“What?” She snapped. 

“I’m not leaving you alone after that stunt, Marinette.” 

“I wasn’t doing anything! I wouldn’t have fallen! “ Her voice became harsh and irritated. “ You’re the one who scared me, anyways.” She flipped over and curled her knees up under her chin. “I don’t...need...or...Well I haven’t decided what I want.” 

“That’s fine. Look, I’ll just chill out on the balcony, and you get some rest. I’ll just check in occasionally.” 

“Why did you come?”

Chat Noir blinked. “Mari, I saw you from a mile away doing yoga in the freaking air, I was worried you’d hurt yourself. Who do you think you are, Simone Biles?”

The very second she cracked a smile Chat Noir raised his arms over his head in victory. 

“Go, get to bed.” he laughed. She nodded, and they both rose off the chaise. Chat’s back made a creaking sound,and he cringed.   
Marinette stared at him   
“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

“Nah nah. I’ll be outside, Mari.”

“Stop, you’re hurting, I can see it. Why don’t you sleep here tonight?”

“Princess.” He admonished, feigning scandal. 

“Oh come on, I’m not gonna leave you out in the cold. I promise I wont look if you change back. My bed’s pretty big, unless you wanna sleep on the couch.”

“Marinette, you don’t have to...”

“I’m hurt too,Chat...I could...I could use a friend. Stay the night.”

"I..."

"Please."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m gonna change back.” 

“I’ll close my eyes.”

“Ladybug would not be happy...”

“Why are you so cranky tonight, kitty?”

Marinette lazily swung a leg over Chat Noir’s torso. They had moved from the chaise to her bed with more room to sprawl, Marinette not really caring about physical boundaries, as she was used to her partner's touch, and Chat, while more reserved but seemingly more physical in character anyways. She knew they didn't have the same dynamic while she was a civilian, but truly, her exhaustion took any semblance of concern from her.The boy glared at her pointedly, with unbreaking contact. Without hesitating, or thought, he wrapped a clawed glove around her ankle. He sighed.

“I’m not cranky, just tired.”

“So sleep.”   
She laid her arm across his face.   
“Sleeeep, kitty.Sleeep.”

“Marinette, what are you doing?”

Marinette rolled over on her side and began to to lightly slap Chat’s face.   
“If I put you into a coma, you’ll sleep. Bam, bam bam.” 

“If I’m in a coma, who’s going to save you from extreme yoga?"

“If I’m lucky, a real hero.”

“Ohhhhh I see how it is.” Chat Noir rolled over and dropped the entire weight of his body on top of Marinette’s small frame.

“Chat!” she gasped breathlessly, pushing upwards into his chest. She struggled against him as his laughs began to crescendo, rumbling deep in his core maliciously, vibrating her whole body,infecting her with laughter as well.They wrestled against one another, Marinette letting Chat gain the advantage for several seconds. Suddenly, she looked up at him and smirked. 

“Mari...” with a grunt she hooked her legs around his waist and flipped him over with ease, pinning his wrists down. The look in his eyes amused her to no end. He was a frightened kitten, so surprised by something he didnt know could happen. Imagine if he found out why she could so easily overpower him.   
A wonderful look of mischief flashed over his face. 

He and Marinette sparred for dominance as he tried to grapple an arm here, swing out a leg there, never breaking her impossibly strong pin.

“How did you get so strong, you pretty little thing?” 

Marinette chirped in amusement and tossed her hair loftily. She put her hands on her hips, straddling the teenaged superhero.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Chat Noir. You’re not the only one with secrets.” 

And in the moment the final word left her mouth, Marinette’s face fell into a dead, expressionless stare. She hated when it did this. Hit her in places she thought she was safe. Ruined her fun and made her stop her life just to lick her wounds. Wounds she didn't know she'd had a split-second ago. 

“And you probably know the most about me.” She deadpanned.

Her arms fell to her sides, and she slowly lifted from her position atop of Chat. She laid to her side, her back to him, her hands covering her face. She tried not to cry, shaking with effort that she knew would be wasted the moment he spoke. 

“I knew something was wrong...” He crooned softly. 

“Why is there so much?” 

Chat was taken aback. He peered over her shoulder.   
“Theres too much.” She repeated, enormous tears beginning to spill out of her blue eyes. “And...and I know it’s not actually a lot but I feel like the whole world is crashing down on me...”   
She felt a hand stroking her head. And while it was soothing, it made her sob so much harder.

“Why is this happening?!” She wailed. “I have a happy home, I have so much to be thankful for,I have a wonderful family and friends and a passion that I’m, I’m, I’m...” She began to stutter and hiccup and shiver as Chat Noir curled up closer to her. 

“You’re fine, you’re fine, sweetie.” He whispered. 

“There’s so many things that people DEPEND on me for and every day I worry if I’m enough, and worry about what would happen if i was gone, and who would replace me? Would it make a difference if I WAS gone? Would they be a better L...a better...I dont know.”

She felt the bed shift abruptly and her body was swept into a crushing bind as Chat embraced her with deep concern, 

“Don’t tell me you were trying to...”

She sniffled. “I was...testing my limits. I wondered if I could be brave enough.”

“Then I’m so glad that I scared you.” Chat’s voice cracked as he hugged Marinette tighter to him, as if she might fall from the balcony from here in her bed if he loosened his grip. 

“I think about jumping a lot.” She admitted quietly.

“Marinette I can only hug you so tightly.” He said pressing his face into her neck. “Am I being too touchy? I’m almost afraid to let go of you. I wouldn’t want any jealous boyfriends to come after me. I’d hate to embarrass the poor guy.”

The black hair moved against his cheek as she began to calm down and laugh. Marinette sighed.

“Sometimes I’m just confused about who I am, who I should be...”

“Well,” He said, “Who do you want to be?”

Marinette didnt know the answer to that. Not in the long run. But here in this moment, with her best friend, she knew what she wanted, at least for a moment. 

“If I have to pick someone....can I pick...Princess?”


	2. Morning in the Bakery

“Princess”   
"Yeh?”  
“Last one”  
“Will you be allright?”  
“Can you keep a secret?”  
“Chat you aren’t going to reveal yourself.”  
“Then you’re going to need to lay very still.”  
The dark room was swathed briefly in an emerald glow, scanning through the little loft like a copy machine in a cleared out office, almost as eerily calming in the dead of night. Marinette stiffened as the boy beneath the costume sat up, and whispered hurriedly. She knew there was a kwami there behind her. Her own had been happily sleeping in her little box since before Chat had ended up here. She’d made sure of it. The rushed and quiet chatter seemed to last a little too long. His kwami had to be complaining about lack of food, or sensing Tikki or....

“Um, by the way Chat...”  
She felt him go still.   
“If you get hungry, let me know and I’ll close my eyes. My parents wont notice anything missing from the kitchen.” 

A shift. Chat swatted at something behind her, it felt like.  
“Weird question.”

“Hm?”

“Do you happen to have Camembert cheese?”

Ah, so the black cat kwami also had a preference.

“Yeah actually, there should be some baked into pastries with pears and walnuts and honey, they’re really yummy. I’d get ‘em while I can.”

There was a raspy start to a small scream, which was quickly muffled into silence. 

“I just might...close your eyes for a moment, princess.”

Of course she knew his kwami was speeding past her, but feigning ignorance was almost too easy.   
Oh. 

The kwami was gone. There was nothing but her and a boy, alone in her bed in the middle of the night. It was somehow different when he was a superhero, something almost intangible, as if he was a part of the dreams she had, as if her time as Ladybug wasn’t real. But now here he was, bare of all glamour, outstretching arms bare of all costume, and pulling her into his chest. 

“I’m sorry.”

She felt his head tilt up in confusion to ask her, “Sorry for what?”

She shrugged. “Lately I’ve been having these outbursts. I’ll scream and cry, or I’ll break things. Which I guess is good for ripping up seams....ha ha ha...”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Um...”

“you don’t have to answer, Mari, I’m just....kind of nervous.”

“You’re not the one with a pretty boy in her bed.”

Chat’s body went rigid against her. “What?” She asked.

“I um...I didn’t think about it that way....should I..?”

“No, no this is helping me so much, really.”

His arms crept around her. “I’m glad.”

“Chat Noir, I think you might be my best friend.”

“Uh oh.”

“What?”

“I think you might be right.”

“Why? You don’t sound pleased.”

“You picked the sidekick for your best friend? You’ve got some bad taste, kid.”

“Every princess needs a knight! And you aren’t a sidekick. You’re a hero, chat.”

“Nice to be reminded I guess.”

“Unlike me, ha ha.”

Chat lightly smacked the back of her head. “Stop it, you nerd.”

“So what did you wanna ask?”

“Oh um...Do you..you dont usually try to...?”

“Hurt myself?”

“Yeah...”

“Don’t get any funny ideas, ok?”

“Why would i--WHOA!”   
Marinette drew up her shirt to the bottom of her chest. A cluster of bandaids covered her side. 

“Sometimes I get anxious and stab myself with pins while I work...but the worst of it...”  
She untied her pigtails and spread her hair to reveal a sizable bald patch. “I pull my hair out a lot too. It comes and goes in spurts, and it feels like I’m not really part of my body. I know I shouldn’t do this but it brings me back in.”

The next thing she knew, Chat was wrapping her in her own comforter.

“I’m never leaving this bed.” He gripped her. 

“I can’t guarantee you’ll sleep well, I’ve been pretty restless lately.”

“Whatever you need.”

“I’ve got a sweet rescue kitty cat here with me, I’ll be fine. Goodnight, chat."

“Goodnight, Mari.”

\-----------------------------------------

Marinette was falling. A deep corridor filled with brambles and boughs swam past her as she careened down, scratching and biting at her skin without mercy. The floor was nowhere in sight, the entirety of the prison succumbed into darkness. No screams would come to her, try as she desperately might. 

She fell in silent horror, being mutilated by bark that felt like grabbing hands. They were greedy and cruel, and marred her skin. Without warning, what felt like gravel struck her entire bloody body, knocking the wind from her lungs and the sense from her head. Marinette groaned, sound finally able to escape her, and clawed laboriously at the dirt under her as she tried to regain her bearings in newfound gravity. There was absolutely nothing around her, not even light, and she could barely hear herself breath, barely hear a sound save for a far off footstep biting into the dirt. A steady beat of gravel crunching under boots began to echo closer and closer, her terror growing and growing until a sliver of light was revealed by a glinting silver boot toe.As she looked up she was shocked to see a familiar cat-suited boy, glaring down at her in the sparse light. He sneered and spat to the side before regarding her.

"Ladybug." He almost growled, "Not surprised it's....this." 

Chat Noir gestured with disdain in her direction. Her eyes widened in hurt surprise. 

"A useless superhero is a useless girl underneath. All Ladybug is good for is catching butterflies and making bike helmets appear from thin air. And all Marinette is good for is being late, and stumbling around the boy she likes. I bet even Alya is fed up with having to babysit you, just like me."  
He laughed with a dark malice. "Do you think I even need a Ladybug? I could kill the akuma myself with Cataclysm; why go in such a roundabout way to purify something thats just going to end up right back at Hawkmoth's feet, when we could destroy it for good? You just make things more complicated." 

Chat Noir leaned down and snatched at Marinette's cheeks, his claws digging into her skin. "You think being Ladybug makes you better? It doesn't. You're a disappointment. And you'll never be able to protect Paris the way that I do. Well. Bravely. People genuinely love me. They put you on an impossible pedestal because you're a pretty face in an important position. You don't actually have any skill. And you never. Will." 

And with that disgustedly punctuated statement, the boy whipped his gloved hand from her face and lifted himself to walk away. He paused, turning only his head back to her.

“Maybe I’m guilty of putting you on a pedestal too. I never would’ve loved you if I’d realized how much of a pain you are.” 

And finally, Marinette felt her lungs fill with air as she let loose the scream that couldn’t begin to unwrench her heart. She wailed wetly as tears flowed down the torn skin of her face, the burning barely a pin prick compared to the pain of her best friend’s rejection. 

“Marinette”

She shook, unnaturally, he shoulders being swayed by an outside force. 

“Marinette!” And Marinette opened her eyes. She wasn’t scarred, she wasn’t face down in the dirt, and she wasn’t covered in her own blood. Instead she was being jolted awake, her cheeks wet with fresh tears, her legs entangled in her blankets, and Chat Noir’s masked face almost uncomfortably close to her own. He was gently shaking her shoulders, and she guessed she’d been sobbing in her sleep. His eyes stared at her, sad and full of worry.

“You were screaming,” He admonished,”I didn’t want your parents to wake up.” 

He pulled her into a hug as she let out a deep breath and reciprocated the gesture.

“You’d been thrashing all night already, I got worried.”

She looked up at him. “Oh, Chat I’m so sorry, you could’ve gone home, I didn’t mean to keep you up.”

The golden haired boy sucked his teeth in feigned annoyance. “You know why I had to stay, Marinette. Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I’m fine, thank you.”  
0  
“Mmhmm.”

“What time is it?” 

Chat yawned widely in an almost comical way before he replied, “A little past four in the mornin’, kiddo.”

“Yikes.”

“You can say that again.”

“Yikes.”

“Funny.”

“I’m hilarious.”

Chat rolled his eyes and let go of her. He stretched with a small groan as his body woke up and settled into the bed, squirming his weight into the mattress. 

“We have school soon.” He lamented.

Marinette raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “Yeah,” She remarked. “Good thing my house is across the street from Dupont.” 

He hummed in agreement. 

“Yeah?” She prodded; Chat’s eyes shot open.

“Shit.” 

“Yeah, shit.” She laughed hysterically. “Ladybug is gonna beat your ass.”

“Not if she doesn't find out!” He beamed. 

“Bold of you to assume I wont tattle.” She laughed again as his eyes widened and his lip pouted pleadingly at her. “Ok, ok, I wont press it. Wild that we go to school together though. Do we actually know each other?”

“Thought you weren’t gonna press it?”

“Ugh, party pooper. Come on.”

“Hm?”Marinette rolled away from him and out of the double bed, stretching out herself before making the climb down from her bedroom loft. Chat groaned and silently followed her down the wrought-iron staircase. They trekked down her trapdoor and into the apartment, Chat Noir stopping her as she reached for the front door. 

“What are you doing?” He whispered urgently.

“Going down to the bakery, you should eat before you leave.”

“O-ok.”She led him to the kitchen of her parent’s little bakery, cracking open the immense copper refrigerator and pulling out milk, butter, eggs and placing them in Chat’s arms before scrounging through the dry goods storage for the other ingredients. Her arms full, she peered from inside the pantry, waggling her eyebrows and a bar of baker’s chocolate. 

“Score!” She cheered softly. Chat watched her bemusedly as she set to work dumping her prizes into assorted measuring apparatus, mixing and kneading and folding and suddenly glaring.

“What?” He laughed nervously

“Help me, lazy bones.”

“Fine, fine.” And so he did, the easy tasks; folding chocolate into croissant-shaped lumps of dough, preheating the oven, greasing the baking pan. Marinette, the more seasoned of the two silently created, covering herself in four and smiles. Chat couldn’t help but smile as well, as they continued to share in more soft moments. But soon it was over, and the croissants were in the oven, and the duo was scrubbing soiled dishes. 

“School soon, huh?”

“Yeah...Sucks to be a child who attends school and is not a superhero in anyway.”

“Did you do the bio-chem homework?”

Chat glared at her, unamusedly. “Ha ha.”

She shrugged and laughed brightly. “Worth a shot.”

“Why do you want to know so bad, Mari?” 

“It just fun to tease.”

He elbowed her. “You’re a tease.” He retaliated. 

She choked down a shocked laugh, “What!?”

He paled and backtracked, “I did not think that through”

“Now that I’m not surprised by.” 

“Ha ha at yeast I’m not tormenting you with crumby puns while we make bread.”

“First of all how dare you, second of all ho--” Marinette froze and sniffed at the air. 

“Wha...” She leapt across the floor and sprang open the over door, releasing a small billow of smoke.

“My croissants! They’re....did you set the oven to ‘broiling!?’“

Chat’s hair stood on end, “What! Was that me!?”

“You murdered the croissants.”

“Oh god, Mari I’m so sorry, i---oh ha ha....” He deadpanned as Marinette dissolved into giggles, shutting the oven door for her. The pair sank to the floor as her chirping laughter turned to sobs, and Chat held her close once again. 

“Why don’t you take a personal day?” He suggested. She hesitated, and nodded, sighing into his chest. 

"I'm not even sure what I would do." She mumbled into his chest. She sighed once more. "Actually no...I should go to school."

The boy groaned inwardly, the noise coming out as a soft, annoyed growl. 

"Besides, besides," she hurried, with a flap of her hand, "You'll be there won't you?"

He peered down into her face, swollen from the rough night and so many tears. "Is that why you kept asking? Do you need me there? Marinette I can't...."

"No no no, knowing you'll be there would be enough. You'd be like, my emotional support secret santa."

Chat Noir laughed, "What like a service dog?" 

"Like a therapy animal. " she chirped back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is an ongoing fic. For some reason it says "completed" and idk why. Oh well. I'll figure it out. Thanks for reading chaper two!


	3. Late Morning in Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lets see how many times I can put the word "knew" in one sentence lmao

So today was going to be....shaky. 

Chat Noir had left hours ago, with a pat on her head and a promise to keep an eye on her while she was at school. She knew it was such a risk to know they were going to the same school, but honestly, she knew they were around the same age and there were only so many colleges in Paris. As long as she didn't think too hard about it, just knowing she had someone who knew what she was going through was enough to keep her anxiety at bay. 

So she hoped. Her face was still blotchy and her limbs were weak and wobbly. She supposed she could blame it on late night video games, or sewing projects or something. People normally took her words at face value. 

Why would they waste energy on doubting me anyways...she shook the thought away.  
It's because I'm an honest person! A hero! Marinette nodded to herself in confidence and stetched her arms out as she walked into the classroom. 

"---and I was fielding calls all night." 

"Really Adrikens, if you'd needed help, I'd have been moooore than happy to oblige. So long as you don't just go missing on us again."

Marinette tilted her head in confusion. Chloe and Nino were huddled together with Adrien, seemingly chastising him. The blonde boy was holding his hands up, palms out in defense, with a sheepish smile on his face as the other two glared at him from above his seat.

"It's fine guys, don't worry. Thank you again, Chloe. Really. I appreciate it." He patted the ponytailed girl's hand in gratitude. 

"What's wrong?" The trio turned to look at Marinette. "Are you ok, Adri---"

"Marinette!"

Upon laying eyes on her, the model had noisily shot up from his seat. She leaned back slightly in shock at the suddenness outburst. Chloe dropped a hand from her arm cross and stared at him, and Nino laughed nervously. 

"Dude, it's just Marinette." He waved a hand at her, as if lazily presenting her existence. Just Marinette.

"Right, right, good morning Marinette. How do you feel?" Adrien continued, dismissing his friends with a wave. Chloe rolled her eyes, patted him on the shoulder and walked to her desk. 

Well, this is new. Marinette thought. Do I look that bad? 

"Oh I'm great." She lied. "Lots of work done last night. " she hugged her bag to her chest, grasping one hand in the other, and digging her nails into her wrist. Adrien's green eyes narrowed and bore into her. He leaned forward and gently unhooked her claws from her skin. 

"Be careful." He said sternly. Marinette could only stare wide eyed back at him. He grumbled and turned to Nino. 

"Sit with Alya today." A statement, barely a request. 

"What!?" Marinette and Nino both simultaneously incredulous. Adrien made a show of proving he and Chloe had been friends for years as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. He jerked his head to Nino's spot. 

"You worked all night? " he implored. Marinette nodded slowly, puzzled. 

"Then you didn't do your homework did you?"

She gulped. The truth was that she'd had no drive to even begin it. That and being preoccupied with crying into her friends chest the majority of the night....

"I...guess not..." she said slowly. 

"Bring it here. I'll help you before class starts."

Nino sighed and rose, gesturing at the chair with both hands to Marinette. "You're so demanding today. Where's my sunshine child?" 

"He died. I ate him."

"Meow."

"Well, you'd be cranky too if you had a bruised rib, no sleep and your dad threatening your life for disappearing."

"Ok ok." 

Nino made his way to Marinette's usual place and spread his belongings sloppily over the table she normally shared with her friend Alya. She twisted her face at his mess in her space as she sat down next to Adrien, who was currently slapping a pill into his mouth. He unscrewed a bottle of water that had sat on the table, and glanced over at her. 

"Puh ih ou." He spoke around the pill, sighed, and took a swig of the water, swallowing hard before replacing the cap. "Pull the assignment out." He repeated. 

"O-oh." Marinette shuffled through her bag, and pulled a few papers from it. 

"Gimme." Adrien snatched the work from her hands and held them out at arms length, analyzing them. He gave a low whistle. "Wow. Nothing done at all." 

Marinette sat tightlipped as he waited on her to respond. He shrugged and put the papers down, beginning to write. She eventually was able to mentally slap herself into not gawking at the cranky boy that had replaced the one she'd been pining after for ages and got to work. 

The duo sat for a while, the hum of the early class waking up, the scratching of pencils on paper. It was awkward, but calming. Even when Marinette would pause, and stare at her paper hopelessly, Adrien would gently slide it slightly into his line of vision, and tell her the answer before continuing on his own stack of her homework. 

Time passed and the beginning of class drew nearer, being signaled in by a sleepy Alya making her silent appearance, pausing to look on in shock at the new seating arrangements. Marinette smiled weakly at her as she mouthed details back. And so the day began. Uneventful otherwise. Slow. Marinette's body hurt, and her scalp itched. 

Sometimes she would tug at the back of her hair, and a much larger hand would stop her. Sometimes she would shut her eyes, and that same hand would lightly pat her awake. Once, she couldn't figure out a problem and began to cry from being overwhelmed. 

Adrien cried out then, oh my side! Excusing himself to the infirmary, and requesting that Marinette guide him there. She was grateful for the reprieve, even if it came at the cost of her friend's pain. Once out in the hall, away from the stagnant air, she felt better. 

"Why don't you stay home after lunch hour? You normally eat at home right?" Adrien asked. 

"Huh?" She gawped, "No, no Adrien, I'm...I'm fine, really. I'm fine. I'm fine."

He shrugged and they walked in silence. 

"S-so!" She began, stilted. "What was all the commotion about this morning?"

"Oh that? Nothing. I just went outside last night to get some fresh air and fell asleep on the bench in our garden. My dad flipped out, and started harassing Nino and Chloe because he thought I ran away." He chuckled darkly. "Wonder why he thought that."

"Well that's not good. You could've caught a cold!" 

Adrien's eyes became suddenly soft. He smirked. "I was warm enough, Marinette." 

Marinette felt her face flush with heat. She glanced down at her shoes. "I just worry." She squeaked. 

"I do too. I know you've been having a rough time. Please let me know if you need anything."

She smiled genuinely at him. "Really, Adrien. Don't worry. I've got a friend looking out for me. Kinda like a security blanket." She swore she could see his eyes sparkle. 

"Who's that?" He laughed again, this time brightly. 

Marinette choked out, "Alya! Alya of course!"

"That makes sense."

They continued on in silence.


	4. Midday in the Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small gesture

Marinette grunted in skeptical confusion as Adrien gripped her wrist and led her, almost dragging her onward. 

“I told you, just trust me.”

“What if someone sees though…”

“Who cares? I’ve done my share of sneaking around. This is a snap.”

“But why?”

Adrien grinned back at her as he pulled her. The tips of her shoes scraped the floor reluctantly, making a show of her reservations. 

“Sure doesn’t sound like trusting me, Marinette.” The blonde boy shoved open the heavy industrial doors of the library and peered back again at her, lifting a finger to his lips as though she didn’t already know to be quiet here. She felt both disrespected at the way he was treating her like a child, and giddy at all the attention he was paying to her. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel and wound up responding in the same annoyed-but-endearing compliance she did to Chat Noir’s shenanigans. Adrien had quietly led her to a table surrounded by an almost cubicle of bookshelves. Very hidden, almost peaceful if not for the aggressive sound of the air conditioner and fluorescent lights overhead as one would commonly hear in a school. He reached underneath and happily produced a large linen bag. Narrowing his eyes on his companion, he spoke cryptically. 

“I’m about to tell you one of my biggest secrets, Marinette. You can tell no one. This stays between us, ok?”

Marinette swallowed hard, as those words carried a much bigger meaning in her world. She raised an eyebrow, knowing she absolutely would not get the confession her heart had panicked into expecting, and pointed questioningly at the bag through crossed arms. He beamed again and began to empty the contents. Yarn. Needles. Templates. More yarn.  
“Oh.” She remarked, taken entirely by surprise. How innocent.  
“I knit.” Adrien continued. “You mentioned to Juleka about wanting to learn right? I even have…” He dug around for a moment before pulling out what seemed like two dozen smooth wooden pegs and wispy white thread. 

“You can weave lace!?” Marinette balked. He put a finger to his lips again, and in a lower voice admitted “No, I thought maybe we could learn together in case someone had beat to the punch in teaching you to knit.”

Funnily enough, Marinette was actually a very skilled knitter. It had actually been Juleka who had requested Marinette’s assistance. She fidgeted for a moment, opening and closing her mouth to speak, unsure of if she should tell him, or let him “teach” her. She settled for thanking him.  
“Adrien, I don’t know how to thank you for all this. Its just so considerate.”  
He put a hand up dismissively. “It’s what friends are for, right? Sit, sit.” He pulled the chair out and just about forced her into it in his excitement. 

“I have to admit, Adrien, I do know how to knit…” She went on shyly. He gave it a second’s thought and shrugged. “Even better. Now we can just relax together. No pressure to learn. I mean unless you want to mess with the lace?”  
She considered it for a moment. She did like a challenge. “Why don’t we just start with the knitting?”  
Adrien nodded happily and unhooked a plastic safety-pin shaped stitch holder from a previously begun red project, still too early to discern what it would become. She glanced down wistfully at the familiar color of the baby blue yarn that was sticking out from the rest of the options. She figured she might as well secure a second shot at a gift for Adrien and knit him a hat to match the scarf that had gotten mixed up as a gift from his father. She selected a thin set of needles and got to work casting. It was relaxing, just as Adrien had said. Relaxing was always welcome these days. Especially when everything in Marinette’s life was so turbulent and unstable. A quiet afternoon in the school library with nothing but the clacking of metal knitting needles was just the thing to calm her nerves.  
Her fingers worked fast. Much faster than Adrien’s, she saw he had begun to notice. As time creeped pleasantly by, Marinette had most of a hat hanging from her fingertips, while Adrien still only had a formless mass of red that was only slightly larger than when he had begun.  
“Wow, you weren’t kidding.” He laughed in disbelief, after a dramatic, wide-eyed double take between their projects. He lifted his needles as if presenting his work. “Leaving me in the dust there.”  
She smiled timidly. “No, I’m just focused. I figured I could make you something as a thank you.” She held up her own knitting. “To match your scarf.” Adrien smiled brightly once more at her.  
“You didn’t have to do all that….” His voice trailed off, and he reached out to touch the blue hat. “This looks remarkably like the one that my father gave me last year.” Marinette sputtered.  
“Oh, well, yeah I’ve seen how much you like it, so I figured I’d make you something to match.” She smiled weakly, clicking her needles together a few times. He screwed up his face. 

“Did my father…. commission you, or something…?” He asked. She gulped. At least she could answer honestly. “N-no, he didn’t.”

“But you made that scarf, didn’t you?” Of course, the fashion icon’s son would be able to discern between people’s handiwork. No getting out of this one.

“I did…” She instinctively looked down at his sudden accusation.  
“Then how did I get it?”  
Marinette swept her eyes across the floor to the left, avoiding eye contact at all costs. “I actually made it for your birthday. I just assumed that the labels got switched on mine and your father’s gifts. “’

His eyes narrowed in anger. “I didn’t get a gift labeled from you.” Marinette could almost feel his brain whirring, connecting dots. She figured it out herself quickly, and just as quickly found herself short of breath. 

“My father didn’t bother to get me a birthday present and stole credit for yours. I’m sure of it.” His voice was icy but defeated. He sighed, as though the situation was almost no surprise. “I considered that scarf my most treasured possession. Because for once, it seemed my father had put thought and care into me. Turns out, I’m just an afterthought. Awesome. He ruined what should have been a great memory.” 

She coughed into her hand as her throat grew drier. “I’m sorry, Adrien, I…”

Adrien slammed his fist onto the table. “I literally draw attention for a living, and he can’t be bothered to spare any to me. His son. He couldn’t be bothered to even buy me the same stupid pen he does for every birthday, and instead has to take credit from some random schoolgirl! What a pathetic—”  
Her eyes widened in shock, and his closely followed as they realized what he was saying. 

“W…was it that bad?” She whimpered, her voice hoarse, as she lowered the hat from view into her lap beneath the table. 

Of course it was bad. If it was a good gift, Adrien would still be smiling like normal. He would laugh it off. He loved his dad, he respected him. The only explanation was that the scarf was bad. If its only value was that Gabriel Agreste had gifted it to him, and it was now worthless and making him so angry…it had to be so. Marinette felt tears form over the ones she hadn’t realized were already streaming. 

“No, no, Marinette, I’m sorry.” He stood up from his seat and rounded the table to put a hand on either of her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes. “I meant that my father took our memory away from you and me. That should have been a great birthday gift because you’re so thoughtful and talented that you took the time to make me a gift from hand. Thank you, by the way. Here, here, no tears.” Adrien pulled a small travel packet of tissues from his pocket and handed them to her, and she gladly accepted. “Do you need water? Aspirin? Any headache at all?”

When she shook her head, he sighed once more, this time in relief. He placed a palm to his forehead in annoyance. “I’m so sorry. I meant to give you some space to clear your head and all I did was make you cry. Probably put you on the verge of another panic attack.” Marinette cocked her head.  
“Another…?”

“Oh, oh, uh,” He sputtered. “You get them, right? I assumed with the anxiety…sorry. Does that mean you’re alright, or that you had an attack?”  
Marinette’s smile came out shaky. “Yes.” She teased, not convincing even to herself. 

Adrien let out a low groan from his throat, his lips forming a thin, exasperated line. Marinette could only laugh. He rubbed his neck. “Do you think that we could—”  
His voice was cut off as a deafening crash sliced the air, followed by a billowing cloud of debris and dust. They were blind.

“Marinette!”


End file.
